Anxious Meetings
by Azaisya
Summary: Rose takes Scorpius to meet her family after she befriends him in first year. Naturally, the boy is very nervous about it — specifically, meeting Harry Potter. But, luckily, Scorpius and Harry happen to have some common interests — namely, Quidditch. Oneshot, no pairings.


**Written for the Create-A-Potion challenge.**

**Word count: 3,070**

**Prompt: Arthur Weasley or Scorpius Malfoy (I obviously chose the latter)**

**Disclaimer: I am not JK Rowling and therefore do not own any bit of Harry Potter.**

**AN: I've never written this generation before, so I hope it's okay.**

* * *

Scorpius honestly didn't know how he persuaded his parents to let him go to the Weasleys' for the night. Sure, it was just one night, but it was the _Weasleys_. He still couldn't remember what he'd said, or what his mother had said, or what his father had said, and he _still_ wasn't sure if he was happy or not about it.

Of course he was delighted that he would see his friends, Rose and Albus. But he was in no way looking forward to meeting Harry Potter.

And so, when he stepped into the flames, Floo powder still glistening on his fingertips, the fire was _almost_ as green as his face.

When he finally staggered out of the world of disorienting images and ash and smoke, he stumbled onto a carpet. Looking around wildly, Scorpius found himself in a comfy looking living room (the complete opposite of the one at his home) with a familiar auburn-haired girl standing before them. Slightly awkwardly, not wanting to brush the ash off his clothes for fear of getting it on the carpet, he said, "Hi, Rose."

She beamed at him, but she was playing with the ends of her ponytail — a habit she had when she was nervous. "Hi, Scorpius."

His previous feelings returned immediately. What if she didn't like him anymore because she was now back with her family? What if she had changed her mind and she really didn't want him here? What if her parents had forbidden his visit? What if they didn't like him? What if he turned out to be just like his grandfather? What if—

_No_, he thought forcefully. _Rose will take care of it. She likes you. Shouldn't that be enough?_

"I'm really happy to see you," Rose offered, her blue eyes shining earnestly. But she was shuffling her feet, and refusing to meet his eyes. "The rest of my family are outside playing Quidditch."

Something akin to terror was streaking through him. Was she going to tell him to go away? "What's wrong?" he asked, because that was what a friend did.

She blushed and mumbled something under her breath. Scorpius frowned, starting to sweat. "What did you say?"

Slightly louder, her words still rushed, she muttered, "I might've not told anybody you were coming."

Scorpius suddenly felt very faint. Was she ashamed of him? Did she wish she'd never befriended him? Had he done something wrong? It wasn't his fault his father had been a Death Eater! It wasn't his fault that their parents had been rivals! It wasn't his fault their parents had fought on opposite sides of a war!

_It's not hers either,_ he reminded himself, forcibly slowing his breathing.

"I meant to," Rose said quickly, finally meeting his eyes, "But I kept putting it off and . . . now you're here. If you don't like them, you can always go back!" she added hastily, "There's Floo powder in that bowl."

Feeling slightly queasy, Scorpius half-moved towards the bowl, but she grabbed his arm. "Just . . . give them a chance, Scorp? Please?"

Scorpius just looked at her, utterly terrified. When he spoke, his voice felt oddly forced, "What if they hate me?"

Her eyes widened. "Oh, Scorp, they're really nice, honest! It's not like it's one of the Weasley _gatherings_; Uncle Bill and Aunt Fluer aren't even here! It's just Mum, Dad, my brother, Uncle Harry, Aunt Ginny, and their kids."

His face drained of blood at the mention of Harry Potter. "I don't know if this is a good idea," he muttered. Didn't she understand what she was doing? He already had enough issues at home, what with him being Gryffindor in a family of Slytherins. Not to mention the constant teasing and bullying or the fact that he was doomed to be an outcast forever.

"Albus will stand up for you!" Rose said abruptly.

Scorpius started, just remembering his other friend. Hope sparked in him. "Did _he_ tell his dad about me?"

Rose flushed. "Er . . . no."

Scorpius felt his stomach crash through the floor. But then some of his own fear ebbed away at the look on Rose's face. She was just as scared as he was. "That's alright," he murmured, voice suddenly even, "I didn't exactly tell my Mum and Dad about you, either."

She grinned. "Yeah . . . it's not exactly an easy situation, is it?" Despite himself, Scorpius grinned back.

"Come on. I'll introduce you." She led him through the house, which wasn't very large, but he liked it all the same. It was just so much _cozier_ than his. "Huge and Lily don't play, and I'm not really very good at flying — but you knew that, you were there that lesson that I accidentally crashed into the greenhouse — but Uncle and Aunt are very good, and so is James."

Scorpius thought almost longingly of his own broom, unused all summer. He'd learned when he was very young, like his father, and he was hoping to try out for the team next year. Of course, he wasn't sure how well the other Gryffindors would accept him, but . . . his fellow first — no, they were second now — years liked him.

"Albus is fairly good at playing Seeker, and Uncle Harry's been teaching him with his Snitch — the one that the first Albus Dumbledore left him, did you know? — and Dad plays, but Mum is dreadful." She frowned, pausing in her speech as they went out into the lawn. Scorpius drew in his breath with a gasp. It was a huge lawn, one much larger than he would've thought possible with the size of the house, and he could see five figures on broomsticks passing balls to each other.

"Although," Rose continued, frowning thoughtfully, "they're not really games, because we don't have any Bludgers, so we just use Muggle balls. James actually stole the Quaffle, but he doesn't know that Uncle Harry went and paid for it afterwards. They're more like lessons, but they're fun. I think. I mean, I've only participated once or twice." By now she was simply rambling. After one year with her, he knew that she tended to talk more when she was nervous. Well, he was fine with that, because he did just the opposite. It felt like his mouth had stopped working, and his tongue felt too thick.

"Oh!" Rose cut herself off, eyes widening as two of the figures suddenly zoomed towards them. "Here come Uncle and Albus!"

Scorpius had barely time to think, _I'm doomed_, before they landed in front of him. But all of his nervousness vanished abruptly when he saw the brooms. "Wicked," he breathed, forgetting who he was talking to and where he was, "Those must cost a fortune."

Rose hastily said, "I mentioned I was bringing a friend over?"

That jerked Scorpius back to reality, and he turned shyly to Harry Potter. His black hair was incredibly messy, although that was probably partially due to the mild wind and the Quidditch.

Albus, his hair equally messy, beamed and waved his free hand. But Scorpius' attention was still on Harry Potter. The man was watching him, his expression inscrutable. It was strange, looking at an older version of Albus, those familiar green eyes on a face that was more weathered and scarred. Although (here Scorpius' eyes instinctively flicked upwards) he of course didn't share his father's lighting scar. "Well, Rose," Harry said, his voice betraying none of his thoughts, "Introduce us."

Rose, still slightly flushed, said hastily, "Oh, right. Uncle, this is Scorpius. Er . . . Scorpius, this is my uncle, Harry Potter."

Shyly, Scorpius stuck out his hand. "Hi," he said quietly, very much subdued. He'd never had a huge problem with looking so much like his father until he'd started school. Just because of how he looked, whispers and dark looks had followed him for most of the year. Would Harry Potter just be one other person who judged him because he resembled Draco Malfoy?

Harry smiled, and Scorpius was startled by the genuine warmth. Sure, it wasn't the glow that was in Albus' eyes, but it was more than he had expected. "How are you?"

Blushing still further, Scorpius muttered, "Alright."

Albus grinned widely at his friend. "You should come and play!"

"No . . . that's alright," he said quickly. The last thing he needed was to make a fool of himself in front of his best friends' families.

Harry raised his eyebrows, interested. "You play Quidditch?"

Relieved that they were talking about something he was comfortable with, Scorpius nodded. "Yeah."

"He's real good," Rose boasted, nudging her friend.

Albus nodded, green eyes bright. "He's thinking about trying out."

Harry grinned. "For which position?"

"Er. . . ." Scorpius wasn't really sure. He really wanted to try out for Seeker, but he knew Albus wanted to as well, and he didn't really want to beat him, but he also didn't want to _not_ beat him. "I suppose . . . Chaser."

"Nah," Rose retorted, dropping into their usual banter as though her uncle wasn't there, "He's a really good Seeker."

Harry's grin was steadily becoming more natural. "Albus, run and get Scorpius a broom." The other boy raced off, and the man continued, "So you'll be playing Albus?"

"Uncle Harry!" Rose complained, "Neither of them have even made the team yet!"

Scorpius, however, finally realized something. Drawing himself up to his full height, the pale-faced boy said, grey eyes blazing, "I'm a Gryffindor." This time, Harry's shock was visible in his eyes.

A woman ran over, her brown bushy hair streaming behind her. A younger boy was following her, and Scorpius recognized them instantly with that familiar feeling of anxiety fluttering in his chest. "Who's this?" she asked.

Both Harry and Rose answered at the same time. "Scorpius."

Hermione smiled warmly at him, not hesitating in the slightest as she said, "Nice to meet you."

The younger boy complained, "Mum! _Now_ can we play hide-and-seek?"

Rose retorted with the ease of practice, "Hugo, be quiet."

But Hermione nodded at her son. "Alright. Go wait with Lily; I'll be right there." She looked Scorpius in the eye, her brown eyes startlingly fierce. "If you need anything feel free to ask, alright?" As she left, Albus ran up, panting and clutching two brooms.

"Got it!"

Harry ruffled his son's hair, messing it up even more, before tossing one of the brooms to Scorpius. The fair-haired boy caught it, and looked at Rose, struggling not to panic. She grinned and waved at him. "I'l be over there," she pointed just underneath where the remaining three figures were playing, "reading or drawing."

_No!_ Scorpius wanted to plead with her, _Don't leave me! _But she already ran off to greet her younger cousin, leaving him with Albus and Harry.

Harry mounted his broom and kicked off. Albus took the adult-free chance and said to Scorpius, "You okay?"

Paler than normal and trembling, he nodded, swinging his own leg over the broom. This was a Firebolt. Not the very _best_ broom, but still very _very_ good. Almost the best. Familiar thoughts were racing through his mind. What if he broke it? What if he played wrong? What if he couldn't find the Snitch? What if he lost? What if he did something stupid?

Albus may not be as good with feelings as Rose, but he was still very observant. "You'll be alright," he said quietly, "I used to be really nervous when Dad offered to train me, because, you know, he was the youngest House player in a century and all that. But they're all really nice, and they all have their flaws." He smiled. "Nobody's perfect, Scorpius."

_Yeah_, Scorpius thought bitterly, but followed as his friend kicked off, _but none of them have a Death Eater for a father or a whole family who was in Slytherin._

But as they approached the group, he found himself relaxing. He could do this. If there was one this he was good at, it was flying (well, that and Transfiguration, but it wasn't like he was allowed to use magic outside of school). He easily followed Albus as they soared through the air. Harry had already talked to the other players.

Scorpius immediately recognized Albus' older brother, James. James was one of the Beaters on the Gryffindor team, and a very good one at that. As the two twelve-year-olds approached, Harry called, "We're going to be playing three against three. James and Scorpius will be on my team."

His palms were damp. Scorpius hastily wiped them on his sleeve. Suddenly, he realized he wasn't wearing Quidditch robes. _Does it matter?_ he thought quickly, _Think realistically!_

James gave Scorpius a thumbs up sign. The younger boy flashed a glance at the other team. The two adult redheads were both watching him interestedly, but the woman looked away when he caught her eye. Ginny Weasly, Albus' mum. And Ron Weasley was Rose's dad. He had a strange look on his face as he examined Scorpius, and the younger boy swallowed hard.

But once the game began, he didn't think about that. He didn't have time. "Scorpius, you'll play Seeker, but if you get the Quaffle, you know where to throw it. The hoops are those smoke circles; see them?" When Scorpius nodded, Harry had darted away. He only had three seconds to wonder what charm they had used to create the smoke when a baseball flew past his ear. James immediately dived after it before swinging a makeshift bat to send it rocketing towards Ginny, who merely ducked. The makeshift Bludger smashed into a bush and stayed there. All of them were very good, the non-Seekers, slipping easily and flawlessly between the different roles. However, it soon became apparent that Ron was better at defense than Ginny, just as James was better than Harry.

It was only when Albus abruptly dropped into a dive, his eyes narrowed with the type of concentration Scorpius associated with exams did he remember his job. Ignoring somebody's shout of, "Scorpius!" he dived in the opposite direction, scooping up the fallen baseball and throwing it at Albus with all the strength he could muster.

The boy yelped and swerved, and Scorpius called, grinning, "Sorry!"

Albus shouted something in return as he nearly flew into the neighbor's lawn — and past the wards that hid the wizards from the Muggles — that made Ginny Weasley shout, "Albus!"

"Sorry, Mum!" Albus called back, racing after Scorpius, who had returned to searching for the Snitch, watching the others out of the corner of his eyes.

Harry tossed the Quaffle at James, who in turn dived underneath his mother to toss it at the makeshift goal hoops. Ron dived for it — and missed.

Scorpius whooped triumphantly, and Albus swore again — although this time much softer. The fair-haired boy slowed slightly so he could talk to his friend while the older wizards and witches played.

Albus grinned. "You having fun?"

Slightly sheepishly, Scorpius nodded. "Surprisingly," he admitted, "They're different than I expected."

The green-eyed boy nodded, hovering slightly in the air. "Yeah, although I wouldn't suggest being in the same room with just Uncle Ron yet. He's a little less . . . accepting."

Throwing a look at the red-haired man, Scorpius found him grinning and easily laughing with the others. His old wariness returning slightly, he nodded. "Okay."

When the two boys sped off again, the Quaffle flew towards Scorpius. Without thinking, he grabbed it and raced towards the hoop. Ginny noticed him and dived after him, her red hair flying out behind her. He didn't need to look to recognize the exhilaration in her eyes.

Scorpius swerved and threw it to James — he wasn't quite ready to pass it to Harry yet. The older boy caught it and threw it at the smoky circle. But Albus darted forwards and snatched the large ball, flying towards the opposite side of the lawn. Rose's laughter drifted upwards, and Scorpius chanced a look down, to see her watching. He caught her eye, and the genuine mirth in her eyes made him grin.

But then her head tilted slightly, her eyes flicking to the left. He followed her gaze and his grin widened. Dropping into a dive, he passed Rose as nothing more than a blur, hands outstretched. The Snitch was glowing just at her left.

Hearing Albus' abrupt shout, Scorpius quickly snatched the Snitch from the air, grinning. But, in his ecstasy, he wasn't watching where he was going. He flipped over the edge of the broom and tumbled onto the grass. Rose yelped and leaped up, but Scorpius rolled onto his back with a shout of, "I'm okay!" Whatever aches and bruises he had were completely drowned out by the happiness swelling within him.

Laughing, the others landed, although Albus looked slightly sulky. Scorpius completely forgot that he was with people who were practically legends, forgot that they had been the sworn enemies of his father, forgot the history between them.

Rose giggled and hugged him, saying, "I told you he was good!"

A hand ruffled his hair and Scorpius looked up to see Harry there. "He definitely is."

For a second, something rebellious reared within him. "Even for a kid raised by Slytherins?"

Harry's grin widened. "Scorpius, my godfather was a _Black_. He came from an entirely Slytherin family, too."

Warmth exploded in his chest. It wasn't like when his parents complimented him. For some reason, this was different.

And it was one of those few times in Scorpius' life that he felt like he belonged. And, despite the fact that there was a very blatant distrust in Ron's eyes, and Ginny was whispering to Albus, and Hugo and Lily we're staring unashamedly with wide eyes, he didn't care. He could work on them later.

Because for now, the people who accepted him were the people that mattered.


End file.
